Cursed Kits
by The.Crying.Fox
Summary: Currently rewriting chapters, I will post new ones once all the old ones are nicer to read. Sorry for the long wait everyone will have to endure. I would also like to apologize for the sudden genderswap for some characters because those characters were based on real people and those people ended up being trans, I felt it was wrong to misgender them in the story.
1. 1- Swiftfoot

He was awoken at sundown by Foxtail and stretched his wings and legs. "Thank you, Foxtail," Swiftfoot said as he passed the older cat. The old warrior nodded at him as he walked away.

Fireclan has recently been demanding the other clans share some of their hunting grounds with them because more and more twolegs were coming into their territory to set up temporary nests. The other clans refused because they need all their hunting grounds to feed the many mouths in their clan, but Fireclan wouldn't stop and they became violent. They took over some of Waterclan's territory through a long and bloody battle and then they celebrated about it later. All the other clans could hear the terrible noises long into the night, for they were howling and screeching as if they were going mad.

He followed the rest of the patrol and flew above them with a few other warriors. The flying warriors listened to the conversations of the few warriors walking below them. In his mind, it was odd to do this. Every sundown he was woken up to do patrol duty and as soon as they had made two circuits of the territory they went back to camp and woke up the next cats. The large patrol group always split up in two so they could cover more ground quickly. There were always four flying cats and two walking cats in the entire group, three in the smaller patrols.

As the three cat patrol neared the Fireclan/Airclan border, they all started to pick up the small, quiet sounds made by distressed kits and he and his apprentice landed, and they all started moving faster, towards the unusual sound.

He found them just on the edge of the Airclan border. There were four kits in a basket woven of grass and sturdy sticks. He nosed them apart and found that they weren't very warm, but still alive and wriggling, trying to find warmth, and that they smelled mostly of a Fireclan tom, but there was still a hint of Waterclan on them. He found this very odd, for it was said that if a Waterclan cat and a Fireclan cat or an Airclan cat and an Earthclan cat had kits they would be cursed, and would never be accepted into either of their birth clans because of how strangely mixed they would be. They would never truly suit the physical needs for either clan. The kits seemed to be less than a moon old, maybe a quarter moon at most. The other cats appeared to be thinking this as well.

Someone spoke up at last. "Well Swiftfoot, what should we do with these kits?" It was Wolftail, a grey and white tom who was a kind cat who had been taken in by one of the queens when he had been a bit older than the kits before them.

"I will take them back to camp and discuss the future of these kits with Foxstar," He replied politely, "Breezepaw, please continue the patrol with Wolftail." He then picked up the basket and flew out of the forest, and towards the large trees that housed the clan.

When Swiftfoot returned to camp he went straight to Foxstar, carrying the kits. He entered Foxstar's den, set down the kits and sat down next to the sturdy basket.

"Foxstar." He mewed and the other cat stirred in her sleep.

"Foxstar." He repeated, a bit louder this time and the aforementioned cat slowly opened her eyes and sat up.

"What is it, Swiftfoot? Aren't you supposed to be on patrol right now?"

"Yes," He said, "But we found something that might interest you." He then explained how and where they found the kits.

"Thank you, Swiftfoot for coming to talk to me about this," Foxstar said, "But we cannot keep the kits. We have too many mouths to feed already, and Leaf-fall is drawing near, I can feel it getting colder every sleep. We must find another place to bring these kits, where they will be safe and accepted."

"I think we should give them to Earthclan for, they need more warriors and hunters, unlike Airclan." He said, "They hopefully will not care about the kits parents and will accept them into their clan."

"Hopefully." She stood up, "Please bring the kits to one of the queens, we will bring them to Earthclan after Sunup."

He nodded and stood up, picking up the basket of kits, "I will see you then." He mewed and left the den.


	2. 2- Silvermist

She awoke, crying again, but at least it was Sunup. She still ached from the events that had taken place a couple nights ago and had had the same dream again, it was about her poor kits in the forest, hungry, cold, alone and crying for their mother. Every time she fell asleep, the dream came and it was worse than before, small things changed and the fates of her young became more gruesome every replaying of the dream. She yearned to talk to Sootheart about them but, he was across the border dealing with the wounded of his clan. The Waterclan cats had tried to get their territory back last night but, they lost more than they had gained. The wounded may have fled, she thought and let out a small sound of distress, but many warriors will be lost because of their wounds. She was the medicine cat of Waterclan and she had to do what her clan expected of her, to heal the wounds of the injured and to help the grieving through their lost loved ones, however much she ached. The same thing with Sootheart, he had to heal the cats in his clan, however evil they may be.

She got up and stretched, she had a long day ahead of her and she mustn't get distracted, because her clan would get suspicious. She left her den to go check on the less severely injured warriors.


	3. 3- Grassstreak

The large cats wandered down along their border. Grassstreak tilted his head curiously when he saw three Airclan cats at the border. Signalling with his tail, the Earthclan cats marched confidently down to them. He doubted that they were invading or attacking. They seemed to be waiting for his patrol. Dustclaw hissed as they neared.

"Are those kits?" He spat. "We want nothing to do with your young, Airclan!" Dustclaw yowled.

"Hush!" Grassstreak mewed, flicking Dustclaw's muzzle with his tail. "What do you want, Foxstar?" His voice was welcoming and friendly, but his posture told them of the responsibility he held.

"There is no place in the Airclan nursery for these kits," Foxstar said. Her grave tone unnerved Grassstreak, and he searched her expression for any hidden thoughts but could find none.

 _She always was good at that_. He thought, then moved on. "Why not?" He mewed, his voice more curious than challenging.

"They are not our kits," Swiftfoot said. His voice was cool and emotionless. _What is it with these cats?_ Grassstreak thought exasperated. It was always so easy to tell what his clanmates were thinking, and the sudden challenge frustrated him.

"Whose are they then?"

"We found them at the Fireclan border," Swiftfoot said sadly.

"Why would you bring us Fireclan's lost kits?" Dustclaw snarled, his sand-coloured tail lashing.

"They aren't true Fireclan kits…" Swiftfoot started.

Grassstreak had poked his nose into the basket to look at the kits. As he nuzzled one, he hissed to the cats around. "I smell Waterclan."

"Cursed kits?" Featherear mewed, her eyes filled with concern. Her own kits had just become apprentices, and this was the cream she-cat's first patrol after leaving the nursery.

"If it were up to me, I'd take them in without a second thought," Grassstreak told the cats, laying his tail on Featherear's back to reassure her. "But it's not my place to say." The brown deputy nodded to the Airclan cats. "Come. We will escort you to our camp."

The Earthclan warriors flanked the Airclan Patrol, and Grassstreak led them away.


	4. 4- Breezepaw

She flew above the Earthclan cats, following them to their underground camp in the cliffside. She could feel Grassstreak's gaze burning her pelt, and she didn't like it. She knew he trusted the Airclan cats, so why did he keep staring at them? She shook her head, but suddenly Grassstreak yowled.

"Land!" The call rang out, and the Airclan cats obeyed. Breezepaw felt her paws touch the smooth, cool stone of the mountain. She looked down at the Earthclan cats hopping up from ledge to ledge in order to get up to the Airclan cats. She watched in wonder as the cats leapt over large gaps to get higher and higher, without wings. Had they no fear of falling?

"This way," Dustclaw grumbled, brushing roughly past her and disappearing into a tunnel once they reached the top. Breezepaw followed, feeling slightly claustrophobic in the tight, dark tunnel. It got smaller the deeper they got, and soon the larger Earthclan cat in front of her was crawling along with his belly fur touching the stone. Breezepaw breathed a sigh of relief as the tunnel opened into a large cave. It was lit with glow worms that the Earthclan cats had caught and put in the small chambers to light up their underground lair. A thin stream trickled through the middle of the camp and the light of the glow worms reflecting off the silver ripples. A few warriors stood talking outside a tunnel that Breeze guessed must lead to the warriors' den. A younger cat, who must be an apprentice, just like her, appeared from a smaller shadowed chamber with a finch in his jaws, before ducking into another side chamber.

"The elder's den," Grassstreak explained. "The elders couldn't handle the tunnels very well, so they live in a side chamber that's easy to access."

She watched as Featherear took off after the apprentice, disappearing into the elder's den. It was soon followed by complaining yowls and wheezy laughter. _So that must be one of her kits._ She thought with a smile.

"Follow me," Dustclaw said, "Mudstar's den is this way."

"I'll take the kits to the nursery," Grassstreak said and disappeared into a small side tunnel with the basket.


	5. 5- Sootheart

He looked up into the sky and then at the injured cats around him. He found himself thinking of Silvermist and their small mewling kits. He had some regrets about breaking the warrior code but, he still found himself thinking it was worth it. He loved her, and that's what mattered most to him. Just then, a small apprentice came up to him and asked for some more poppy seeds. He told the apprentice where she could find them, thinking about how much smaller the apprentices were getting, and then excused himself from the camp, saying he was going on a walk to get some more cobwebs, as he was running low. That was sort of true, he was going on a walk to find some cobwebs but, the walk had a second purpose too, he was going to find and talk to Silvermist about what had happened a couple nights before.

He took a small detour on the way to see his mate, to check to see if their kits were still in the place that he had put them, and they were not. He found her sitting at the Fireclan/Waterclan border, looking mournfully into the territory that had been lost the night before. She mustn't have gotten there too long ago, because there was still the fresh scent of a Fireclan patrol in the air. He approached her quietly and looked her straight into her sea blue eyes. It saddened Sootheart to see that she looked surprised to see him. He put his nose on hers and sat down in front of her.

"I thought I wouldn't see you until next full moon… after what happened…" She murmured.

"I missed you…," He said, "We may have broken the code and our kits may have a hard time adapting to Airclan life but, I think they will be fine."

"Are you sure they found the kits?" She asked, fright filling her eyes.

"I went to check before coming here. The kits aren't there and it smelled of Airclan cats." He reassured his mate, nuzzling her neck.

"I hope they have a better life with them," She purred and her ears perked up, "I think Maplemoon is looking for me, I can hear her calling. I must go now, goodbye." She stood up and dashed off.

He watched her disappear into the undergrowth and slowly made his way back to his clan's camp.


	6. 6- Mudstar

She smelled the cats before she saw them. Foxstar, her deputy, and a warrior came in with Dustclaw. She narrowed her eyes at the AirClan cats.

"Mudstar." Dustclaw lowered his head respectfully, and the EarthClan leader saw Cloudnose look at the warrior with shock. She knew why, Dustclaw was normally very gruff around outsiders, and the sudden show of respect was probably very unexpected.

"Why did you bring these cats into our camp?" she asked him with a tinge annoyance in her voice.

"Grassstreak saw it fit." He said. "They were waiting at the border for us."

"I shall talk to her later." She replied. Turning her expectant gaze to Foxstar, she signaled with her tail for her to speak.

Foxstar dipped her head in respect, and so did the other AirClan cats. "My warriors were patrolling the borders when they came across starving kits. We figured you could find a place for them in your clan."

"Where are these kits now?"

"Grassstreak brought them to the nursery"

Mudstar's tail lashed in annoyance at her deputy. She liked the young cat's spirit, but she had to learn to ask permission before taking things into her own paws. But she must now focus on the present.

"We will take the kits." She mewed. "We have enough fresh-kill to support them, as our territory is a very prey-rich land."

"Thank you Mudstar, but there is something you must know about the kits…"

At that moment Grassstreak entered the den. "Russethawk has the kits with her, she's accepted to take them." She said, as if she knew that Mudstar said yes. The leader blinked at her.

"Have you been eavesdropping?" She asked through narrowed eyes.

Grassstreak continued without acknowledging the question. "The kits are half FireClan half WaterClan, is what Foxstar was trying to tell you."

"Have you any idea who the parents are?"

Grassstreak turned her head to look at the AirClan cats, and Mudstar's gaze flitted to them. She sighed as the cats shrugged. "Well, we'll take them anyway."

As the other cats turned and left the den, Mudstar barred her deputy's way with her tail. "It'd be best if the kits never found out about their parents. From this moment on, they are EarthClan kits, and as far as anyone else knows, always have been."


	7. 7- Emberstar

She looked out at her clan from the entrance to her den. A group of apprentices were tossing a vole back and forth, their claws leaving red streaks in the fresh kill. The warriors were sharing tongues, lounging in the sun that warmed the pebbly ground of the camp. She searched further, looking for Sootheart so he could help some of the youngest warriors with their newly reopened wounds. She finally found him as he was walking back into the camp. She caught his eye and flicked her tail towards her den.

"Where were you?" She asked, a question in her eyes.

"I was just out for a walk," He said calmly.

"Cats need you." She hissed. "Don't shirk your duties Sootheart."

"It won't happen again Emberstar," He promised.

"Good. Now, go attend to some of the younger warriors, they have reopened their wounds."

"I'll see to them." He bowed his head and left the den. _Mange ridden excuse for a cat_. Her tail lashed. It seemed Sootheart was always trying to get away from the clan. The past few moons he has been more on edge and had been going on walks instead of doing his duty to the clan, he didn't even celebrate with them when they took over some of Waterclan's territory.

She stepped outside her den and padded across to where the warriors were all lying around.

"Snakeheart." The thin gray warrior looked up from where he was talking with Spottedshadow, and with a twinge of disgust, Emberstar saw Spottedshadow's tail curl. She pulled her lips back from her teeth and glared at the black and red tom, before turning to Snakeheart. "I want you to keep an eye on Sootheart. I'm concerned he has higher priorities than his clan, and there is no room in Fireclan for traitors. I need to know if he lives outside the warrior code before it's too late."

"As you wish, Emberstar." He bowed his head, his voice cold. As Emberstar padded away, she heard him sneer at Spottedshadow. "She doesn't even talk to you boy. What are you doing? You don't stand a chance."

"Shut up!" Spottedshadow snarled, and Emberstar heard the distinctive sound of fur being torn and smelled the metallic tang of blood. Let them fight. They needed the energy for their next battle. She planned to invade Airclan next. Though their wings gave them an advantage, they were small and their bones were fragile, and no other clan fought with the viciousness and fearlessness of Fireclan.


	8. 8- Nightfur

"Keep fighting!" He yowled from above the chaos of the battle, his wings pumping to keep him out of reach of Fireclan claws. With a battle cry, Nightfur plunged back into the mass of cats, his claws slashing at anything he could reach.

"We will not give in! This territory will be ours!" A bloodthirsty yowl erupted from the battle, followed by hisses and snarls of agreement.

There was a blood-curdling screech as an Airclan she-cat was pulled down from the sky. "Help!" Sunbreeze cried, struggling to kick her hind legs free from Tigerspark, who had her claws dug deep. Asheye jumped up to help his clanmate, grabbing Sunbreeze's wing in his powerful jaws. She howled in pain and rage.

"I've got you, Sunbreeze!" Stagwind called, swooping in to help. He slashed at Tigerspark's red paws, making the dark tabby she-cat release her legs. He gripped Asheye's shoulder's with his claws, and biting the back of his neck, used his wings to pull the black Fireclan warrior off the Airclan she-cat.

"Get back to camp!" Nightfur called, growling as he grappled with Orangepelt.

"I'll take her." Stagwind mewed, walking at her side and bracing her so she wouldn't fall. "Snowfeather'll fix you right up, Sunbreeze." He mrrowed good-heartedly. Nightfur could hear the concern under his voice though, and he could see his wings quivering. He watched them make the slow trek back to camp until he was attacked by another cat, but it wasn't just any cat, it was Emberstar.


	9. 9- Silvermist

She woke up to a cat poking at her and she swiped at the intruder. The cat jumped back surprised when she hissed at them.

"Silvermist, it's me, Sootheart," He said.

"Sootheart?" She questioned, "What are you doing here?"

"I came here because I am sick of Fireclan and their wars," He replied, but his eyes said; _and because of you._

She snorted. "What if a cat from my clan comes and finds you here?"

"Silvermist, we're medicine cats, and our clans think we could never be together. Please, come with me!"

"What of our kits? Do they mean nothing to you?"

"We can come back and get them!" He yowled. "At the halfmoon, when the other medicine cats come to share tongues with Starclan, we can find out about the kits from the others." He nuzzled Silvermist. "Once we are free from the clans, we'll get them. They're kits! How hard can they be to take?"

"But the Airclan cats have wings and they can fly up into their treetop camp. They will find us easily!"

"That's not true. One of us can keep guard while the other grabs the kits. The queens won't stop us."

"They might alert the warriors that are guarding the camp…"

"Well, if they try to stop us, we'll fight." Sootheart flexed his claws, startling Silvermist. When did he become so much like his clan? "There is nothing any cat can do to stop us from getting our kits."

"You've changed Sootheart…" She said, frightened.

He curled his body around her, nuzzling her affectionately. "I'm sorry if I've scared you." His tail entwined with hers. "It's just I can't stand to think that every other cat out there wants to stop us from just being one, happy family."

"Maybe we should talk about this in the morning," She yawned.

"Alright. Goodnight, Silvermist." He gave her an affectionate lick on the forehead before turning and padding out of the den. She watched him leave, before curling up tighter and dozing off again.


	10. 10- Snakeheart

"What do you mean, you fell asleep?" He stood bristling over Spiderpaw, the small black tom shrinking away from his mentor. "You had _one job_! ONE JOB!" Snakeheart roared, cuffing his apprentice roughly over the ears.

"I'm sorry!" The apprentice squeaked.

"Sorry doesn't help the clan. Do you even _care_ there might be a traitor in our midst?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't know!" Spiderpaw mumbled into the ground.

"Well, now we have no idea." Snakeheart hissed, striking Spiderpaw with a powerful clawed paw. He watched through narrowed eyes as his apprentice staggered and blood dripped from his shoulder. He then heard a rustling noise from behind as Sootheart walks back into camp carrying some herbs.

"Where were you?" Snakeheart spat, enraged.

"I was just on a walk to gather some herbs," Sootheart replied calmly.

He huffed and walked away. He suspected Sootheart had gone and done something other that collecting herbs but he had no proof. But he would find proof, for he was Snakeheart, loyal cat of FireClan, not a traitor like _Sootheart_ …


	11. 11- Swiftfoot

She was attacked by a cat as she tried to run to help Nightfur. They held on even when she swiped at them and bit them. It was Spottedshadow, the most pathetic warrior in their clan. She felt stupid not being able to shake him off. He may be annoying and stupid, but he was stronger than her. She squirmed and swiped and bit him until he let go of her and ran off into the trees.

"Coward!" She spat after him.

She then raced over to help Nightfur but it was too late. He was left there, his pelt covered in blood, to suffer because of Emberstar. She stopped to look at him, and she saw that his wings had been torn off. She found this odd, so she looked around for them, but they weren't anywhere. So, she walked up to him and picked him up and carried him back to the treetop camp…


	12. 12- Miststar

He arched his back as the yowls and screeches of FireClan cats split the night. He had heard the battle on AirClan territory. At this rate, those fox-hearted cats might take over the whole forest. They were taking territory from all the clans, and their vile stench was stuck in his nose. He snorted and shook his head in order to clear it, before padding down through the marshy camp. Miststar looked forlornly over to the fresh-kill pile, which was dwindling. How could they eat if they had no hunting grounds? They had lost another cat that day, the elderly Roseglow. Duckpaw was curled next to Fawndrop, another elder, and they were curled together in a tight ball. He watched them for awhile before padding off into his den to rest.


	13. 13- Russethawk

She looked down at the supposedly cursed kits. _They look fine,_ she thought. One of the kits had just opened their eyes this morning and it was waddling around curiously. She nuzzled the other kits, still trying to think of names for them. She had two names so far, one of the tomkits was named Bluekit and one of the she-kits was named Stonekit. The other two would be a bit of a problem. She batted gently at one of the tiny cats with one large paw, and the black, red and blue kit rolled under her strong paw. The little she-kit made a mewling sound and batted at the air close to her paw helplessly. She smiled, pulling the kits closer to her with her tail. They wiggled closer to her and one by one they fell asleep. She was licking them to groom their fur as Grassstreak returned to the nursery.

"How are they?" She asked, glancing nervously at the kits.

"Small," she mewed, "well compared to the other kits, anyways."

"Don't expect them to be the same size." She said, her tail flicking back and forth. "I'm just worried they'll start questioning things once they get older."

"Don't worry, they aren't questioning right now," she said, "don't think of the future right now, what matters right now is that they are safe."

Russethawk watched as the deputy closed her eyes and shook her head. "I know you've got a lot to worry about right now Grassstreak," She said. "But the kits shouldn't be one of your worries. Leave it to the queens."

Grassstreak seemed a bit stung as she left the nursery through the steeply sloping tunnel. Russethawk ignored her and went back to washing the kits. The deputy shouldn't worry. Her job was to organize patrols. It was not to deal with the kits and never has been. She curled herself around the kits and went to sleep.


	14. 14- Sootheart

His ears twitched, searching for any sound. No cat could see him going to meet Silvermist. He scented some horsetail nearby and took note of it, he would have to bring it back to camp as an excuse for leaving. His neck fur stood up as he heard footsteps behind him, but he calmed seeing a flash of long dark brown fur.

"You can come out Laurel." He growled, flicking his tail in annoyance. "I know you're there."

His tail lashed as he waited, and finally, the dark brown loner padded confidently up to him. Even though Laurel always tried to seem powerful and fearless, he could sense the terror coming off her fur in waves.

"Hello, clan cat." She said with a smirk. "What are you doing out so early?"

"None of your business rogue." He hissed.

His fur bristled as Laurel eyed him, before padding up closer. "Rogue, loner, kittypet. So many fancy terms you wild cats have for me."

"They aren't fancy." He hissed. "They are terms that cats like you deserve."

Laurel huffed. "Alright then. Sorry for preferring to save my own fur instead of worrying about what old fleabags are doing."

"Old fleabags?" he yowled before calming himself. "They aren't old fleabags, they are respected members of our clan."

"'Clan, clan, clan!' That's all I hear since I got here! Clan this, clan that."

"It's because you've decided to make FireClan territory your home," He said, "you should have gone with the last Twoleg that tried to take you!"

"Then what would _my_ Twolegs do?" She mewed. "I need to wait for them."

"You're more likely to get killed by FireClan warriors than see your old Twolegs again," he spat.

"Maybe, but if you can have faith in dead cats, I can have faith that they'll come back. Deal? Deal, alright."

"Uh oh. I think I smell a patrol coming through, you'd better run or they'll get you." Sootheart lied, upset that Laurel had insulted StarClan.

"What?" The loner sniffed the air. "I don't smell any-"

"Is that Asheye I smell?"

"Asheye?" Laurel cried, her ears laying back at the mention of the warrior who had given her a small scar when he had missed her eye. The dark brown she-cat turned tail and fled through the undergrowth.

He laughed softly and continued to walk towards his destination. He got there just before sunhigh. He could see Silvermist sitting close to the border, looking around anxiously. Her eyes widened gleefully when she saw him, before narrowing as he drew closer.

"Why do I smell Laurel?" She hissed, sniffing the air.

Sootheart purred. "The little trouble maker stopped me on my way here. I got rid of her, though. The very mention of Asheye sends her running!"

"She must hate him for what he did to her." She said, laughing softly.

Sootheart began to prance around, mewling pathetically. "Agh! My poor, poor kittypet face! Now I have a nasty scar on it! How will my precious Twolegs ever find me now that I look _completely_ different?"

Silvermist fell to the ground laughing. It was good to see her happy. She then sat up and looked at him, worry yet again clouding her eyes.

"Should we really be doing this?" she asked him.

"Why shouldn't we? Isn't Maplemoon ready to succeed you?"

"What about FireClan? Don't they need a medicine cat? You don't have an apprentice."

"Do you think they deserve one?" He mewed skeptically. "I get treated like a scrap of crow food. FireClan hurts and kills for sport. They wouldn't miss having a medicine cat."

He brushed past Silvermist, and he heard the patter of her paws behind him. As he walked deeper into WaterClan territory, he began to lose faith in his decision to leave. _What if I'm putting her in danger? What if we can't find our kits? What if StarClan abandons us?_ Fear clutched his heart. _What will I do without our warrior ancestors?_


	15. 15- Wolftail

"Come on Wolftail!" Cloudnose's mew came from the branches above.

The grey warrior gritted his teeth. "I'll get there!" He yowled around the prey in his mouth, sinking his claws into the tree's bark and pulling himself skyward. His muscles were aching by the time he reached the camp.

"You can do better than that Wolftail!" Cloudnose said, narrowing his eyes as Wolftail threw himself down in the warrior's den. Wolftail sighed. He had had a hard apprenticeship, not being clan-born and all. Cloudnose was still acting like his mentor, and it seemed his whole existence was dedicated to redeeming himself ever since he joined AirClan. He didn't like it but it was _way_ better than sitting in the forest alone and stealing prey from the clans.

"I know I can, Cloudnose." he said. _Why is he so annoying?_ He thought, _I'm a warrior now, I should be treated like one…_ He sighed again and got up to put the prey he caught into the fresh-kill pile. He then padded over to Snowfeather's den to check up on Nightfur. He let himself inside and went into a side room where the injured cats were. He wasn't surprised to see Stagwind there because he had always been there since Sunbreeze was injured. The young warrior jumped as Wolftail entered the room.

"Oh hello Wolftail," He mewed, "Didn't expect you to come here. Nightfur is over there, Feathercloud and Snowfeather are with him."

"Thank you," He said. He walked over to where the two she-cats sat and sat down beside them.

"How is he, Snowfeather?" he asked sadness in his voice.

"Not doing too well," She said, "I don't think he'll make it."

As soon as she said that Feathercloud began to weep. They were mates after all and the kits would never meet their father. Wolftail laid his tail on the queen's shoulders.

"I'm so sorry." Wolftail murmured, flinching as her gaze burned his pelt.

"He shouldn't be dying." Her voice was bitter with hatred and mistrust. _Why?_ Wolftail thought. _It's not my fault he was attacked. It's not my fault he's dying, why is she mad at me?_ His heart fell as realization hit him. _She thinks it should have been me instead._ He sighed and walked out of Snowfeather's den, leaving the mourning Feathercloud. His claws left slashes in the bark as he balanced on the branch, stepping nimbly along it. He looked around the camp. As his clanmates' eyes fell upon him, he wanted to shrink out of existence. He had never felt more alone. He knew that he wasn't a full warrior of AirClan, and never would be. Nightfur was the only one who had made him feel like a true clan cat, but now he was living in a blizzard of mistrust and suspicion. Without Nightfur, his eyes had suddenly opened to the truth behind his life. And what a dark truth it was.


	16. 16- Maplemoon

"Coming!" The young she-cat called around the moss in her jaws. The elder had been complaining about ticks, in the way elders do.

"It's about time," Fawndrop growled irritably. Maplemoon set about applying the mouse bile, her nose wrinkling as she did her smelly work. Her ears flicked at Fawndrop's grumpy remarks about 'how slow youngsters were these days', and how 'back in his day, cats knew how to use their legs'. She sighed and continued applying the bile to the elder's tics. When she was done she looked over at Silvermist's den and saw her mentor and another cat running into it. She immediately figured the dark grey and black streak of fur disappearing into the den was a patient and bounded over to help. When she pushed through the curtain of ferns, Sootheart was talking with her mentor. This was not unusual, medicine cats lived outside the laws of clan boundaries, but she couldn't imagine Emberstar giving him permission to come to their camp. She walked in all the way and interrupted their conversation.

"Hello!" She purred happily, "Whatcha doing here, Sootheart?"

They both look at Maplemoon with a mixture of surprise and discomfort.

"I needed more grasses that only grow close to the lake," he said coolly, "I ran out a moon ago and I can't wait any longer to get more." He then looked away from her and said something to Silvermist.

"What did you just say?" she said, "I didn't catch that."

"Why don't you go check on Whisperwave's kits, I heard one of them had eaten a pebble." Her mentor interrupted.

"Oh ok…" she said while walking away. _I guess this is more interesting than what they're talking about._ She went into the nursery to go look at the kit and sure enough, it had eaten a pebble. She asks the queen how big the pebble was and she said that she had no idea. She then figures she should probably get some yarrow just in case. She walks back to Silvermist's den to ask for some and then stops because she can hear their conversation.

"Are you really sure you want to do this?" Sootheart asked.

"Yes, they are still our kits despite the fact that they are being taken care of by an AirClan queen," she said.

"Ok then," he purred, "let's go get them."

Maplemoon then came out of her trance just to see them coming out of the den. She decided it would be a good idea to confront them.

"Stop!" She said, "Why did you do this Silvermist?"

"Do what?" she asked, curiously.

"You know what I mean!" Maplemoon hissed, "You and Sootheart are mates!"

Shock and shame filled the other cats' eyes.

"H- how did you find out…?" Sootheart asked.

"I heard your conversation," She said proudly, "and now you two must come with me so I can tell Miststar."

Fear then clouded Sootheart's eyes for a brief second and he looked over at his mate.

"Please don't, Maplemoon. You have no idea of the fate that awaits us if you do." Silvermist cried. She hung her head low as sorrow clouded her deep blue eyes.

"Tell me why I shouldn't." She said, looking quizzically at them.

"Well, first of all, we would never know of or hear of our kits again," Sootheart mewed quietly, "and second of all, you'd become a true medicine cat, without the shame of betraying your mentor."

"I wouldn't be betraying Silvermist though, I would be helping the clan get rid of a traitor," She stated, "I would be doing WaterClan a favour!"

"Help us, Maplemoon," Silvermist said, "help us leave, tell them that I was killed by a fox while collecting herbs with you and that you're too grief-stricken that you can't remember where."

"And why would I do that?" She questioned.

"You'd still be getting rid of a traitor," Silvermist said, her voice tinged with sadness.

"I guess that might be a benefit…" She said, thoughtfully.

"Exactly." Sootheart purred comfortingly. A chill went down Maplemoon's spine. His cold charm unnerved her. _He_ would _make a good father…_ She thought. Silvermist may have betrayed her, but she had no fight with Sootheart or the kits. She didn't know how she would feel, never knowing her parents. She let out a small exasperated sigh.

"So will you help us?" Sootheart purred.

"I'll help _you_." She corrected, before glaring at Silvermist.

"If you're helping me, you're helping us both." He said.

"Look," She snarled, "Right now, there is nothing stopping me from turning tail and running off to tell Miststar, so if I were you, I'd keep my mouth shut."

He harrumphed and sat down beside Silvermist. "Fine," He hissed, all his previous charm gone, "what do you want with us, now that we can't run or hide from the all mighty Maplemoon?"

"With _that_ remark, I might as well go and tell Miststar, but I'm somewhat nicer than that," she replied coolly, "and I kinda like being called the all mighty Maplemoon, it has a good ring to it. Ugh, getting off topic. Anyway, I might go with _her_ suggestion making it seem like she died so they wouldn't go looking for her."

"Ok then, it's settled, we are going with Silvermist's idea." Sootheart decided, leaning into his mate.

"Though it'd be pretty hard to seem grief-stricken."

Silvermist sighed. "I know you're hurt and mad, but please Maplemoon."

"Just go!" She yowled. "Go, and never come back!"

She stood waiting, her tail lashing angrily as the two cats slunk out of the camp, then she walked stiff-legged across the clearing.


End file.
